Chapter 7: First Day

I kept staring at the staircase.

It was turning into a habit. Whenever I dusted the banister or swept the hall, my eyes slid up to the attic, the one place I hadn't gone.

I told myself I didn't care what was up there but that was a lie. Something was waiting above. Something Aunt Neela worked too hard to keep hidden.

And in the middle of it all was a word I couldn't figure out.

Alpha.

The word sat heavy in my mind. I'd heard it whispered at the bookshop. I'd seen Aunt Neela mouth it when she thought she was alone. Now it seemed to be everywhere, in the townspeople's quick glances, in the way their smiles stiffened when I passed.

But what was Alpha? Or who?

The next morning was my first day of school.

I dressed quickly, smoothing the wrinkles in my skirt. Aunt Neela was already at the kitchen table with her tea. She looked tired, though she sat straight as always.

"I'm leaving for school," I said, watching her face.

"Be careful," she answered without looking up.

I lingered at the door. "Do you… have any words?"

Her spoon clinked against the saucer. At last, she lifted her eyes, and her gaze held me in place.

"Keep your head down. Do not draw attention. Do not ask questions. And above all, do not speak of the mansion."

A cold weight pressed into my chest. "Why?"

Her jaw tightened. "Because you are not ready for the answers."

I wanted to push. To demand more. But the final note in her voice stopped me. So I nodded and held my bag tighter.

"Good," she said softly, almost with relief. "Now go."

Elwood felt different that morning.

The quiet town buzzed with noise. Students crowded the sidewalks, parents shouted from car windows, bicycles rattled down the cobbled streets.

Even in the chaos, I sensed order. Their steps matched, their movements too neat, like everyone was following the same silent rhythm.

At the campus gates, I parked and stepped out. The buildings rose plain but steady, their paint faded but clean. Trees circled the quad like guards.

And then I felt it.

Stares.

First a few. Then dozens.

Students slowed as I passed, whispering to each other.

"Newcomer."

"The mansion."

"Crimson House."

"…Alpha."

The word slipped between them like smoke.

I gripped my bag and kept walking.

The corridors were narrow. The classrooms smaller than what I'd known in Arandell. I found my Political Science lecture room, a tiered hall with rows of seats climbing upward.

I slipped into the back row, glad for the shadows.

Peace lasted only a moment. Students filed in, voices loud. One by one, their eyes found me. Some turned away quickly. Others whispered, not caring if I noticed.

I lowered my eyes, pretending to read.

"Of all the classes," a voice drawled, "we end up in the same one."

My spine stiffened.

Kieran.

He lounged two rows down, leaning against a desk, his posture loose but his eyes sharp.

"Kieran," I said flatly.

"At your service." He gave a crooked grin, resting his chin on his hand. "Glad you remembered my name."

I stared at him. He looked amused, but his gaze lingered too long, like he was trying to figure me out.

"Political Science, huh?" he asked.

"Yes."

"That explains it." His grin deepened, but his voice carried weight.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"It means you like questions. That's dangerous here."

Before I could reply, the professor walked in. She started roll call, stopping when she reached my name.

"Cosette Zedler? Please stand."

I rose. My voice wobbled, but I forced it steady. "I'm Cosette. I transferred from Arandell. I'll be staying in Elwood with my aunt."

"Alpha's mansion," someone said too loudly from the back.

A ripple of whispers spread.

Heat rushed to my face.

The professor cleared her throat. "That's enough. Thank you, Cosette."

I sank into my seat. My hand scribbled on the paper without thinking. One word over and over.

Alpha.

The rest of the morning blurred. By lunch, the cafeteria buzzed with chatter. Every time I looked up, eyes met mine. Students nudged each other as I passed. Some laughed behind their hands.

I sat alone at the far edge, pushing food around my plate.

"Not hungry?"

I looked up.

Kieran stood there with a tray. Without asking, he sat across from me. Heads turned as he did.

I stiffened. "Why are you here?"

"Because I can," he said, stealing one of my fries.

I rolled my eyes.

"So how does it feel to have all the attention of the crowd on you?"

"I didn't ask for that."

"Doesn't matter. Attention finds you. Especially here." His grin sharpened. "And not always the good kind."

I glared. "You and your friends nearly—"

"Not friends," he cut in. His voice was smooth, even. "Associates. And I wasn't the one sniffing your neck."

Heat rushed to my face. "Then maybe you should stop them."

For a second, his expression shifted. "Maybe I already did."

We stared at each other. His golden-brown eyes didn't waver.

At last, he leaned back and stretched. "Relax. You'll get used to the whispers."

"I don't want to get used to them."

"Then you'll break." His words were soft, but they cut. "Elwood doesn't like outsiders who stand too tall."

I clenched my jaw. "You act like you own this place."

He gave a short laugh. "Own? No. But I know who does."

The word I didn't want to say echoed in my head. Alpha.

Before I could ask, he stood, lifting his tray. "See you in class, mansion girl."

And just like that, he left me alone with my untouched food and a storm of questions.

After the lunch break, I went in the library but it gave me no answers either. When I searched for Elwood's history, whole shelves were empty. Years gone, pages missing, whole decades erased.

I slid a book back into place when someone appeared beside me. A girl. My age maybe. Her dark hair fell across her face, and her hollow eyes looked like she hadn't slept in days.

She leaned in close.

"Don't ask questions," she whispered. "Not here. Not about them."

Her breath brushed my ear.

Before I could answer, she vanished between the shelves.

My heart pounded.

What was that?